The Anaheim Ducks might have first place in the Pacific Division all-but officially guaranteed at this point, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t interested in going into the playoffs on a high note. Anaheim went as far as to scratch defenseman Cam Fowler tonight in response to their 7-2 blowout loss to the Rangers on Sunday, but that wasn’t enough as Columbus came away with a 5-3 victory over the Ducks.

Anaheim gained a 2-0 edge tonight, but Scott Hartnell led the Blue Jackets with Columbus’ first hat trick at Nationwide Arena since 2012. He started that run with a power-play goal at 15:35 of the first period.

Hartnell’s final goal came on an empty netter and while those tend not to be glamorous, he did have to work hard for this one:

Columbus forward Ryan Johansen also had a big night with his 24th goal and 39th assist of the season. He’s on a five-game point streak.

Anaheim will attempt to bounce back on Thursday in Boston. Given how badly the Bruins need a win after Ottawa passed them in the Eastern Conference Wild Card race, the Ducks should have their hands full in that contest.

Two goalies most have penciled in as Vezina candidates will square off tonight in Nashville when Carey Price and the Habs take on Pekka Rinne and the Preds.

Price, widely considered to be the Vezina favorite, has been nothing short of brilliant all season long and heads into tonight’s action leading the NHL in wins (40), save percentage (.938), GAA (1.86) and shutouts (nine). The 27-year-old’s dominance has led to serious discussion about Hart Trophy consideration as league MVP.

Rinne, meanwhile, has been solid as well. He’s second to Price in both GAA (2.09) and wins (38), sitting fifth overall in save percentage (.927). What’s interesting about the two, however, is that Price has never been named a Vezina finalist over the course of his seven-year career; Rinne, who’s in his ninth NHL campaign, has been a finalist twice and fell just short of capturing the Vezina in 2011, when he finished a few votes shy of eventual winner Tim Thomas.

So with Price and Rinne likely to both be finalists this year, the conversation turns to who’ll be the third nominee. Right now, it seems like a three-horse race between New Jersey’s Cory Schneider, Washington’s Braden Holtby and Minnesota’s Devan Dubnyk.

Coming off a disastrous 7-2 loss to the Rangers in New York, Anaheim head coach Bruce Boudreau appears to be sending a message to one of his most important players.

U.S. Olympic defenseman Cam Fowler, who averages over 21 minutes a night and has 31 points in 73 games this year, looks as though he’ll be a healthy scratch tonight when the Ducks take on the Blue Jackets in Columbus, per the O.C. Register.

So what’s going on here?

Well, it’s clear the aforementioned Rangers loss irked Boudreau — “we looked more like No. 30 than we did No. 1,” he said — and Fowler had a rough night, on the ice for three of New York’s six even-strength goals. That said, he was getting regular shifts throughout the game and played more in the third period (7:03) than the first and second.

Boudreau also has defensemen at his disposal and enough healthy bodies to do some lineup tinkering. Simon Despres and Korbinian Holzer were scratched for Sunday’s game at MSG — it looks like Despres will draw back in tonight — and the club could always call on rookie d-man Josh Manson, who’s currently with AHL Norfolk but has looked good at times this season.

Regardless, it’ll be interesting to see how this move affects Fowler moving forward. Still only just 23 years old, Fowler — the club’s first-round pick (12th overall) at the 2010 NHL Entry Draft — is considered to be one of the cornerstones of Anaheim’s defense and was a huge figure last year, leading the team in average time on ice per game (at 23:52.)

The Columbus Blue Jackets announced that they have called up William Karlsson on an emergency basis.

The 22-year-old forward was acquired by the Blue Jackets from the Anaheim Ducks on March 2 as part of the James Wisniewski trade. Anaheim originally took Karlsson in the second round of the 2011 NHL Entry Draft.

Karlsson has eight goals and 24 points in 45 AHL games in 2014-15. He also has two goals and three points in 18 contests with the Ducks.

The timing of his promotion is appropriate as Columbus is scheduled to play against Anaheim on Tuesday, setting the stage for his potential Blue Jackets debut to be a reunion game. It will also be Wisniewski’s first chance to play against the Blue Jackets since the exchange.

Columbus will be going for its fourth straight win while Anaheim will attempt to rebound after its humbling 7-2 loss to the New York Rangers on Sunday.